This week has been another significant week for the Brexit process.

Government’s Immigration Bill had its second reading in the House of Commons. The purpose of the bill is to repeal free movement, bringing European nationals under UK immigration control in preparation for our leaving the EU. However, government is bringing forward an immigration policy before the legal, economic and trade relationship with the EU is anywhere near settled. We should have a two-year transition period with the EU where immigration policy will remain the same – this gives us time to come up with a properly thought out new realistic immigration system that is fit for purpose, rather than rushing through these heavy-handed proposals. On that basis I voted against the bill as I believe it will be damaging to our NHS, business, farming and our higher education sector.

A series of important amendments relating to the Brexit process were debated and voted on on Tuesday. I added my name to several of these, including what would have been the most significant one for the process. The amendment would have put in place a process to prevent a no-deal Brexit happening. Unfortunately, MPs voted against it. No-deal would be a disaster for our manufacturers such as Jaguar Land Rover and I am extremely disappointed MPs did not vote to take the option off the table. The commons has instead sent the prime minister back to Brussels to revive her deal. It took just six minutes after the votes on Tuesday night for the EU to say they were not willing to make changes to the withdrawal agreement and underlines the damaging strategy the prime minister is following to preserve her government and her premiership.

Sunday marked Holocaust Memorial Day and I was pleased to be able to be able to attend a service of commemoration at the war memorial in Church Street, Warwick. A group of local people contributed by remembering the holocaust and other genocides. I was privileged enough to read out a moving poem written by Eva Pickova, a 12-year old victim of the holocaust. As the Holocaust moves from living history, to just history, it becomes ever more important that we take the time to remember the victims and also pay tribute to the survivors.

I’m sorry that several colleagues have announced their resignation from the party. All political parties are broad churches and it’s important that the Labour Party remains true to it’s principles and values. The task in front of us is to bring down this government and reverse their most extreme and divisive policies. We must remain united and address the widening inequalities in our society, brought by this government’s ‘austerity’ programme, and urgently resolve the challenge of Brexit.

I think the public will see this for what it really is: a desperate move to try and avoid negative publicity for the Conservative-controlled Council in the run-up to the local District Council elections in May. It always has been a seriously flawed project and remains so. The Council simply doesn’t need brand new offices! What is clear, however, is that the Council leadership has shown contempt for businesses, residents and Councillors – even some in his own party – and has now sought to postpone this decision for political reasons. The public are not fools.

Having first asked to meet with the Council’s development partner, PSP, last July, they finally agreed to a meeting this week – on the same day as this announcement. Seven months on, it’s an interesting coincidence. My objections remain and are as clear as before.

FIRSTLY, may I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2019. The year will clearly be an important one for both our community and the country.

We are scheduled to leave the EU on March 29. This is fast approaching and the whole process unfortunately remains in disarray. The government is ramping up preparations for a reckless ‘no deal’ outcome if the prime minister’s deal does not pass through parliament. This would mean chaos for our local manufacturers such as Jaguar Land Rover, as parts get delayed at our ports. Far from ‘no deal being better than a bad deal’, the vast majority of MPs are urging the prime minister to accept that ‘no deal’ is not an option.

The prime minister decided to delay the meaningful vote for MPs until mid-January and it looks as if the prime minister’s deal will be voted down. But we will have lost a precious month and it seems deliberate on the part of the prime minister to run down the clock. We must now consider extending Article 50 to give us more time, and we need a general election or second referendum to find a way through.

This week the government announced it will spend £4bn on emergency planning for a ‘no deal’. Meanwhile, conservative cuts will continue to batter our local services. Local authorities in England face a funding gap that will exceed £5 billion by 2020. This means our social care crisis will continue, vulnerable children will not receive the support they need, more potholes will appear on our roads. And then residents’ council taxes are likely to rise. You’ll be paying more council tax for fewer services. Furthermore, the long-term plan for the NHS has been kicked into the long grass so it’ll be another tough year for those who work in our local health service.

I have received many concerned emails from constituents regarding the continued rollout of universal credit. Every day my staff are helping people locally deal with the misery of this failed policy and things are only set to get worse. It is causing poverty and homelessness and needs to be stopped.

The final decision on Warwick District Council’s proposed office is also likely to be made. Local residents have been campaigning for a year to stop it going ahead, but the council wants to press ahead with this move which would cause car parking chaos and sell off precious public land for unaffordable private housing. I will continue to oppose the changes leading up to this key final decision early this year.

All in all, 2019 looks like another bleak year in politics unless something radically changes and soon. On a more positive note, our vibrant local community gives me strength that Warwick, Leamington, Whitnash and the surrounding areas will remain resilient and I look forward to meeting many more of you in the year ahead.

I have always said and continue to believe that seeking to retain the benefits of both the Single Market and the Customs Union in the future is vital to protecting jobs, businesses and the economy.

The Prime Minister’s deal does not deliver this, nor does it deliver what many people who voted Brexit were voting for: this deal removes control from the UK instead of taking back control. It would be extremely damaging to the UK, in particular to manufacturing and jobs, and I will not be voting for the deal as it stands. It is incredibly frustrating that the Prime Minister is running down the clock and playing the ultimate game of brinkmanship with MPs of all sides (who are against the deal) to force it through.

This is denying Parliament – as representatives of our communities – the chance to debate and decide. Unfortunately the Prime Minister is effectively denying the country its democracy in order to secure her premiership. So now we must consider extending Article 50 to give us more time, consider all options including Norway+ and Canada+++. And we will need a General Election or second referendum to find a way through.

Last week was also a big one for the campaign to stop Warwick District Council’s proposed new offices. The Council finally held a public meeting, something I have been calling for for several months. Around 350 local residents attended, with one after another speaking in opposition to the disastrous proposals. Hundreds also attended a rally on Saturday outside the Town Hall to protest the plans, which was covered by regional news at the weekend.

These proposals will cause car parking chaos in Leamington town centre, negatively affect businesses at a difficult time for the high street, and we’ll lose many of our precious trees. On top of this, the Council are planning to sell off their current office site for private housing, which will include no affordable housing. The Council are breaking their own policy for 40% affordable housing on all large sites.

This week in Parliament saw the start of five days of seminal debate on the Government’s draft Withdrawal Agreement, culminating in a vote that will be held on Tuesday 11th December. I will be speaking in the debate and if you wish to comment to me in advance of the debate, please email me at matt.western.mp@parliament.uk. I am keen to know the wider views of constituents so please make sure your voices are heard and I will seek to represent the majority.

On a more sombre note, last week we were reminded of the terrible bus crash in Coventry in 2015 which tragically took the lives of two people, one of them being 7 year old Rowan Fitzgerald and my thoughts once more go to his family and that of Dora Hancox of Nuneaton. A fine of £2.35 million was imposed on Midland Red, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stagecoach Group.

Having read the sentencing statement from the judge, I find it extraordinary that Midland Red (Stagecoach Group) received only a fine. The Judge described the company as “highly culpable” and it would seem to me a sad indictment of our criminal justice system when there was clearly systemic organisational failure over a three-year period.

I believe this tragedy could have potentially been avoided if 1) working hours for local bus drivers were capped at 56 hours a week, and no more than 90 hours over any two consecutive weeks (as it already is for long distance bus drivers and HGV drivers), and 2) that drivers should be tested and have medicals annually by two independent GPs.

I will be taking this issue to Parliament, where I hope I can persuade colleagues of the need to urgently change the legislation and harmonise the hours worked by local bus drivers with those of long distance bus or lorry drivers.

Last weekend saw Small Business Saturday, where I was pleased to visit small businesses across the local area, especially in Warwick, to see the positive impact small businesses make to the local community.

BREXIT will be the topic of conversation when MP Matt Western meets the prime minister today.

The Warwick and Leamington MP is set to meet Theresa May with a group of MPs from other parties to discuss how a no deal Brexit can be prevented.

It follows a letter signed by more than 220 MPs calling for a no deal option to be ruled out due to the cost it would have on the UK’s manufacturing industry.

Mr Western says there is much ‘anger and frustration’ among MPs as government has not ruled out a ‘no deal’ if the prime minister’s Brexit deal is voted down on January 15.

He said: “We are scheduled to leave the EU on March 29. This is fast approaching and the whole process unfortunately remains in disarray.

“Government is ramping up preparations for a reckless ‘no deal’ outcome if the prime minister’s deal does not pass through parliament. This would mean chaos for our local manufacturers such as Jaguar Land Rover, as parts get delayed at our ports.

“Far from ‘no deal being better than a bad deal’, the vast majority of MPs are urging the prime minister to accept that ‘no deal’ cannot be an option.”

LAST week was a significant week for Brexit. MPs were promised a vote on the prime minister’s deal. As we now know, the prime minister pulled the vote – preventing MPs including myself from contributing to the debate and casting a vote on the deal. This was then followed by the complete farce of a Conservative party no confidence vote in the PM. The public and MPs are being denied democracy while Conservatives seek to resolve their internal differences over Europe.

The PM has now put the meaningful vote for MPs on hold until Monday January 14. This brinkmanship is damaging our economy and the PM’s approach has led to two years of uncertainty. MPs need to vote on the deal as soon as possible. It is also now critical to extend Article 50 to give certainty to business and the public.

Last Friday, I received correspondence from many concerned parents of pupils at Trinity School regarding the announcement to close the school’s sixth form. I will be working to reverse the decision, as I did in 2016 as a county councillor. Please be assured I will be doing everything I can to work with the council and interim board to come up with an alternative solution.

At the weekend it was reported Jaguar Land Rover could be making a significant number of staff members redundant in the new year, due to the combined pressures of weak demand in China, falling diesel sales, and Brexit uncertainty. Whilst it is just speculation, this would be extremely concerning. I will be keeping a close watch on the situation.

In a related matter, I wrote to the prime minister this week with several fellow MPs to register our profound concerns for her Brexit proposals and the prospect of a ‘no deal’. We have made it clear that this not a realistic alternative given the serious cost to our local businesses and the impact it would have for many people in the area.

A week is a long time in politics. The past two weeks have been a tumultuous time in British politics and I am deeply concerned by the direction in which the Government seem to want to take the country.

We have witnessed the events since Theresa May presented her draft EU deal to Parliament and the resulting chaos. The Prime Minister has since faced a series of ministerial resignations, including the Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab.

The number of resignations from the Government and the lack of support across all parties for Theresa May’s deal means a meaningful vote is likely to fail. We need to extend Article 50 and hold either a General Election or a second vote. Extending Article 50 is the only pragmatic and prudent action to take at this crucial juncture.

I am not a natural supporter of referenda as a method for deciding major constitutional changes, especially where there are not clear thresholds and definitions about each option. Consequently, I was against holding the first EU referendum. However, I believe a further referendum may now be the only way to get us out of this political stalemate.

The country is in crisis and, as in the two elections of 1974, a second vote seems to be the only way to break the deadlock. The Government cannot agree amongst itself what it wants and I am deeply concerned that we are drifting towards a ‘No Deal’ Brexit, which would be disastrous for our economy and for peace in Northern Ireland. A clear mandate is now needed to break the impasse.

I am committed to judging any Brexit deal against six tests that were set out by the Shadow Brexit Secretary in March last year. These tests are based on promises made by the Government about the kind of Brexit deal it would deliver.

The six tests include judging whether the deal ensures a strong and collaborative future relationship with the EU, whether it delivers the “exact same benefits” as we currently have as members of the Single Market and Customs Union, the fair management of migration, the defence of rights and protections, the protection of national security and whether the deals delivers for all regions and nations of the UK.

The Government’s proposed deal clearly fails to meet these tests, especially in ensuring that we continue to receive the exact same benefits from the Single Market and the Customs Union. I have long called for the UK to remain in a Customs Union with the EU and remain in some form of Single Market to safeguard truly frictionless free trade. Many businesses have spoken out about the need for avoid tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade and have warned about the risks to future investment, especially in the automotive industry.

In a ‘No Deal’ scenario, under World Trade Organisation rules, we would see the introduction a 10% tariff on finished vehicles and a 2.5 – 4.5% tariff on components. These tariffs would cost the automotive sector at least £2.7 billion on imports and £1.8 billion on exports. Jaguar Land Rover has warned a no-deal scenario would see its costs rise by £1.2 billion because of tariffs. It would need to reconsider £80 billion of planned investment, putting at risk 40,000 jobs. The automotive industry has repeatedly asked for clarity and certainty – and urgently.

When Parliament does come to vote on the proposed deal, I do not accept that it should be a ‘take it or leave it’ choice between the Government’s deal or crashing out of the EU without a deal. I believe a no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic and the Government does not have the right to plunge our country into chaos because of its own failure to get a good deal.

This is why, if any deal is voted down by Parliament, my preference is for there to be a general election – to try to get a Government that can negotiate the best deal for our country. However, if a general election is not possible, all other options for breaking the impasse must be kept open including a public vote.

I cannot vote for the deal Theresa May has proposed. This a template for a blind Brexit – and a deal that won’t protect jobs, rights or the economy. Whether you voted leave or remain – nobody voted for this.